


I'll never stop choosing you

by ohmypreciousgirl



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Canon Divergence - Post-s04E06, F/M, Mentions of kidnapping
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-18
Updated: 2016-03-12
Packaged: 2018-05-02 07:26:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,174
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5239751
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ohmypreciousgirl/pseuds/ohmypreciousgirl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <i>“Oliver! What are you doing here?”</i>
</p><p>
  <i>“Hi,” he waved with a smile.</i>
</p><p>
  <i>She threw a glare to Curtis over her shoulder. “Let me guess: he is the problem I’m supposed to solve?”</i>
</p><p>
  <i>Curtis offered her a wide smile before nodding effusively. “And now that I delivered you to him…”</i>
</p><p><i>“Hey! I’m not a thing to deliver,” Felicity protested.</i><br/> <br/><br/><b>Four ways Oliver proposed to Felicity.</b></p>
            </blockquote>





	1. May 2016

**Author's Note:**

> As always, a big thank you to effie214 for being the best beta ever. To So_Caffeinated, srmiller and YellowFlicker for being the best and most supportive people in the world that helped me develop this story. This new adventure is here thanks to your suggestions, advice and editing - of course.
> 
> Title from 'Never Stop' by SafetySuit.
> 
>  
> 
> _Previous title: What could have been (and what is)_
> 
>  
> 
> Have a good time reading this new story! **Don't forget to leave me a review with your thoughts/excitement/just acknowledge if you enjoyed this story. I appreciate all the comments! They feed my soul!**

The things Oliver remembered about the day he rescued Felicity were just the essential ones.

Curtis’ excitement when he found a way to activate the remote subcutaneous tracker Felicity implanted in herself in case of an emergency, and then actually finding her location.

Barry and Ray’s offer to help him out by gathering their individual teams to get her back.

The battle which ensued when they got onto Darhk’s property.Oliver hadn’t seen that amount of blood spilt since his Bratva days, but dealing with Darhk and his army was to kill or be killed. There was no way other out. They knew that now, having tried and failed miserably before.

So, all of them dirtied their hands in order to stop Darhk from wreaking havoc in their cities and harming everyone they loved.

The fight finally ended around dawn. A.R.G.U.S helped to contain the few perpetrators who remained alive in exchange for Oliver delivering Darhk’s head to Waller - which he did gladly.

It was just after the fight when Oliver managed to find Felicity. An eternity, if you asked Oliver, even though she had been held hostage for only seventy-seven hours. Not that it had mattered; if it had been seven minutes, it still would have almost driven him crazy. His pulse hadn’t stopped racing the whole time and if his hands weren’t busy, they were shaking. The uncertainty of whether they find a way to get her back, safe and sound in his arms as she should be, had rocked him to his core. 

He had found her in the basement of the building in one the oldest cells, lying on her side in a makeshift bed with her hands and feet bound, her clothes tattered and torn and her high heels gone. The place smelled foul and looked even worse and Oliver couldn’t believe Felicity had been kept there for more than three days.

“Felicity,” he had called, his voice breaking under the strain of relief. He watched her open her eyes and a small smile formed in her lips as she recognized him.

“Ol’ver,” Felicity had said in a weak voice. “You’re here.”

“Of course I’m here,” he replied as he took one of the explosive arrows out of his quiver. “I’m gonna blow open the lock, okay? And then I’m going to get you out of here.”

“Darhk…”

“He’s dead,” Oliver interrupted gently with a reassuring glance.

There was a pause during which she studied his expression, and then she gave a firm nod. “Good.”

Silently, he set the explosive and in less than a minute he had the cell door opened.

Felicity tried to sit up by herself, but her strength faltered and she’d have fallen back on the old blankets covering the stone floor beneath her, if not for Oliver reaching out to grab her.

“I’m here, hon,” he said, kneeling in front of Felicity. He untied the ropes around her wrists, checking for any wounds caused by the abrasive cord. Repeating the same procedure on her ankles, he realized she had nothing but scrapes.

“Are you hurt anywhere?” He asked as he ran his hands gently over her body ~~.~~

She shook her head, but stopped mid-action, wincing at the move and he immediately reached up to cup her face. “I’m fine. It’s just a headache,” she assured him, but her words were alarmingly slurred. “They kept me drugged.

He nodded, his hands still cradling her face, tilting it up slightly to meet his eyes.

She looked well… awful. He could still see traces of makeup under her eyes, and faded, fleeting stains of her lipstick. Her lips were swollen as if she had been biting them and there was a small cut on her eyebrow. Her hair, which usually shone, was dirty and there were traces of blood in her roots. She smelled like sweat and dirt, and her skin clammy to the touch but he didn’t care; he only wanted her close. Leaning forward, he pressed his lips softly against her forehead.

While he kissed her, he felt like the weight which had been pressing against his chest lifted and he could finally breathe for the first time in days. As if she was reading his thoughts, her trembling hands covered his own and she pressed them together.

“I’m fine, Oliver,” she assured him, even though she sounded frail and exhausted. “Just take me home.”

Oliver waited until Felicity moved to stand, and then shifted with her. When her knees buckled, her legs weak after days of disuse, he looped one arm under Felicity’s knees and the other around her back, lifting her into his arms. Felicity draped her arms around his neck, exhaling in exhausted relief as she let herself being lifted

With one last look at the grungy cell he turned around and left the cold and the dark with his girlfriend in his arms, finally safe.

 

* * *

 

When they exited the building their team’s black cargo van was waiting for them a few feet away. Oliver was thankful for Dig’s forethought; he honestly didn’t want Felicity to witness the carnage they’d had to commit to stop Darhk and Co, but Sara had been right when she’d said that to stop the unthinkable you had to be willing to do the unthinkable.

Oliver tried to put Felicity down on the bench seat in the back of the van, intending to sit next to her, only to have her to refuse to let go. As she tightened the grip she had on him, she curled up on his lap, moving her hands from the back of Oliver’s neck only to fist her hands in his hood. Understanding entirely and even sighing in similar relief, he was able to maneuver enough to climb in the vehicle, slide across the bench seat and situate her in his lap, wrapping one of his arms around her shoulder while the other rested on her middle.

He watched his sister close the van’s side door and settle into the passenger’s seat before she turned to him.

“You okay?”

“Yeah,” he said, looking down at Felicity resting in his lap, taking her in as her exhaustion overtook her. “We will be.”

 

* * *

 

The first thing Oliver did when they arrived home was to seat Felicity in a chair in their bathroom while he took a shower. She wasn’t in any condition to stand up for more than a minute, at least not until she ate something and rested for full eight hours. They could reevaluate then.

The whole time he was showering, Felicity’s eyes were glued to him as if she couldn’t believe he was real. He hated that particular side effect of being held captivate, the disbelief of being out in the world again and having to readjust to the idea of safety after hers had been so thoroughly shattered. He hated witnessing Felicity going through that process even more than he’d hated going through it himself.

After he got out and dried himself off, he filled up the tub with warm water while gathering Felicity’s supplies: her favorite shampoo, conditioner and body wash.

He helped her undress, and when she was completely naked in front of him, he let himself look at the state of her body. The bruises on her wrists that he’d noticed earlier were even more pronounced now, and there were similar marks alongside her ribs, upper arms and hips. There were two cuts on her back deep enough that he knew he’d need to look at after she was clean. 

Looking at her, he tried to remember what Darhk had done to other hostages – things only seen in nightmares. He tried to be grateful that her injuries weren’t worse; that compared to some of Darhk’s prisoners, she’d barely been touched. Instead, he sees her perfect skin marred with pain and hatred, and it hurts more than any injury he’s ever received.

Taking her hands into his, he helped her first cross the distance between the chair and the tub, and then helped her gently maneuver her inside. Felicity moved to the spot close to the faucet with hand shower and Oliver followed her cue, sitting on the edge of the tub, only a few inches between them to give him room to help her bathe.

Taking the hand shower, he put his free hand gently on Felicity's face, tilting her head back so the main force of the water fell on her hair. He ran his fingers gently through her dirtied strands to help it get wet before shampooing it. She had her eyes closed when he rinsed her hair, looking somewhat peaceful for the first time since she’d been rescued, and he latched onto that, doubling his efforts to keep her as safe as she was cherished. ~~~~

When he was satisfied with the state of cleanliness of her hair, he got her bath sponge and started soaping her body. He gently scrubbed her back, her neck, her armpits, descending down her breasts before putting the sponge into her hands so she could scrub her belly and legs. He watched her lean forward lazily, her movements slow but thorough.

When she was done, she reclined again and he started applying conditioner on her hair. That was when her shoulders started to shake and a sense of dread set over him. He didn’t need to look at her to know she was on the way to having a breakdown.

“Hey, honey, it’s okay,” he tried to assure her, squeezing her shoulders. “You’re safe now. Let it all out.”

And she did, slumping over and curling toward him until her face pressed on his thigh, her lithe body shaking with the force of her sobs. She was the picture of distress and his heart ached for her. He hated to see her like that, but understood it would be worse if she bottled up everything she was feeling.

“Shhh, you’re safe,” he repeated his reassurance, rubbing her back. “I came to you like I always do. Darhk won’t ever touch you again,” he promised.

He didn’t know how long they stayed there, with Felicity crying while he murmured words of comfort, but he could feel the water getting cooler on his legs as they remained on the same spot.

Slowly, her sobs subdued, her breathing normalizing. When she seemed back in control, she looked up at him. His heart constricted with the sight of her puffy eyes and sad expression, and he caressed her cheek with the back of his hand.

“You know what was eating me away the whole time I was...there?” she asked with a sniffle.

He shook his head, incapable of finding the words.

“I kept thinking ‘I can’t believe the last thing I said to Oliver was to take the trash out because it was his turn and not that I loved him’,” she confessed, her lips trembling as her eyes brimmed with tears again. He felt his throat clam up as his heart lurched at the scene in front of him. “I should have told you; I should always tell you. I’m sorry.”

He immediately shook his head, his voice hoarse. “No, Felicity. This is not something you ever have to apologize for. Especially not under those…” He couldn’t bring himself to speak the actuality. “…circumstances.”

 “I didn’t think I was going to die,” she said boldly, and he didn’t know whether to wince at her words or marvel at her strength. “I knew you’d come for me.” She paused briefly before forcing a reassuring smile. “You always come for me.”

“And I always will,” he promised. “I would tear the world apart just to find you.”

“I know,” she nodded. “Because I’d do the same. I just...hated the idea that the last thing before we got separated was about trash and not how I felt about you.”

Oliver pressed his lips together, trying to quell his reaction; the last thing Felicity needed was for him him to unravel right in front of her. She was the one who needed comfort, not him.

“I know what you mean,” he said simply.

“Yeah?”

He nodded, thinking about the past few days; thinking about how desperate he had been trying to find her, about the lingering silences she wasn’t there to fill. He thought about how as the hours ticked by, his mind kept going back to his mother’s ring lying in the secret compartment in his desk at City Hall instead of on her finger – about how he’d wished she’d had the evidence of his devotion to her to hold onto.

A reminder that her hope and faith in him is not misguided or unearned, but the thing that will always bring him back to her side.

Maybe…maybe he should give it to her now.

“Yeah,” he replied. “The whole time you were away, I just kept thinking about…”

He trailed off, unsure if it was a good moment to tell her about the engagement ring setting on his office. She _had_ been kidnapped after all.

“About what?” She poked his thigh, her eyes finally clear of tears, shining with her natural curiosity and love.

Sighing, he brushed his fingers over her hair, smiling gently at her. If she was asking, he’d have to deliver an honest answer. She’d know he was lying and...he honestly didn’t want to lie or omit the fact he wanted to marry her anymore. Suddenly, the notion he was about to propose made his stomach drop and fill up with knots, a lump in his throat formed by the maelstrom of feelings that were swirling inside of him.

Taking a deep breath, taking one long look at her and knowing he too could be as brave as she, he gathered all his courage and finally spoke.

“I just kept thinking that I hated the thought you were by yourself, with only your hope to cling to, and not something more...prominent.”

A furrow appeared between her brows, confusion reflecting in her eyes.

Yeah, there’s a reason _she_ does the talking.

“What are you…” She started, but he interrupted her again.

“That was terrible, I’m sorry,” he chuckled sheepishly, licking his suddenly dry lips. “What I meant to say was that I wished I’d had courage to propose to you before all of this happened and you understood the whole time you waited for me that I was going to find my way to you. Because that’s what I’ll want to do – _plan_ to do – for the rest of my life.”

Oliver watched Felicity’s expression morph from confusion to the one that resembled her reaction to the  ~~~~time he’d accidentally said he loved her in the Queen mansion. It seemed to have been forever ago, but he couldn’t ever forget the look of astonishment in her face. She stared at him the same way: all wide-eyed and mouth agape. ~~~~

“Felicity, will you…”

The sound of his voice seemed to snap Felicity out of her shock, because she straightened up her back, her hand clutching his thigh as she looked up at him with wonder in her eyes.

“Yes,” she replied hurriedly. “Yes, I will.”

He blinked slowly, processing her response to his clumsy proposal. A smile crept on his lips as he realized she had said yes.

“Really?” He asked in disbelief.

“Yes,” she nodded emphatically, her whole face lighting up.

Oliver felt a laugh bubbling inside of him at her eager reply, but instead of letting it out, he cupped her face with both hands, leaning down to kiss her beautiful lips softly. Giving her his best smile, he muttered repeatedly against her mouth ‘I love you’, pointing each declaration with a kiss. She smiled the whole time, replying in kind.

Minutes passed when he finally pulled back because his back started to bother him.

“I want to see it!” Felicity said, excitedly. She paused, reconsidering her words and amended. “And by it, I mean my ring.”

Oliver looked at her sheepishly, scratching the side of his face. “About that…”

“Oh no,” Felicity said trying to cover up her disappointment. “You didn’t get one yet! It’s okay, we can…”

“No, no,” he shook his head. “I already have it, but it’s on my office.”

Felicity blinked slowly at him. “You left my ring at City Hall?”

He nodded. “I thought here was too risky for you to find, so I moved to someplace you wouldn’t have free access all the time.”

She looked at him before breaking in a grin. “Okay, I can wait till tomorrow to see it then.”

Oliver chuckled, dropping a kiss on her cheek. ~~~~

“Okay, let’s finish this bath already,” Felicity said with a smile.

“Yeah, let me rinse your hair.”

Felicity turned her back on him, reclining her head to let Oliver finish.

The rest of the night there was nothing in his mind but the woman he chose to share his life with. Forever.


	2. March 2016

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Huge thank you to effie214 for being the best beta ever, hopefully you'll feel better soon :). To So_Caffeinated, srmiller and YellowFlicker for being the best and most supportive people in the world that helped me develop this story. To honorthedeadbyfighting for the last minute help, cause without her I wouldn't have posted it today :D 
> 
> Have a good time reading this new chapter! **Don't forget to leave me a review with your thoughts/excitement/just acknowledge if you enjoyed this story. I appreciate all the comments! They feed my soul!**

Finally enjoying some free time from city hall, Oliver opted to spend his Saturday afternoon in the kitchen relaxing. It has been months since he found out that cooking and baking came easily to him, but it still took him by surprise the realization that his hands were good for something other than violence.

It was hard sometimes to reconcile the hands that spilt blood were the same ones that created delicious dishes to feed his girl. It was hard to believe a man with violence running through his veins could still find in himself a way to be gentle and loving - not that it was particularly hard exactly. Displaying his love for Felicity was just...natural. He just wanted her to know how loved she was and one of the ways he found was by feeding her and if it came with a plus of making him take his mind off of things, well… he wasn’t going to complain.

That was the reason he just finished roasting a chicken breast and potatoes for dinner. Things had been even more hectic since he’d been elected mayor and they’d barely had alone time. Being the first weekend without any pressing issues, he told Felicity earlier they were having a special day and for her to forget about working and just take some time off. That would be a day for them only - no Team Arrow, no Damien Darhk, no Palmer Tech.

Just Oliver and Felicity.

As it should be.

He glanced at the clock and was relieved to find it was only 5:30 pm; he had time to pick a quick dessert. He contemplated googling it, but the thought of a recipe book Felicity had gotten for him as a Chanukah gift, but he yet had to try a recipe from it.

Going to the living room, he stopped in his tracks when he saw Felicity sitting at the end of their couch, an open book in her lap. He smiled when she didn’t seem to notice his presence, his heart lurching at her adorable concentrated expression. Grabbing the Gordon Ramsay's Ultimate Cookery Course book, he flipped through it until he found one in particular that caught his eye, making him smile at the name.

Opening it at the pointed page, he checked to make sure the recipe didn’t contain nuts, and smiled softly when he saw it was okay to bake blondies for dessert.

 _Blondies for my blondie_ , he thought trying to stifle a grin.

Walking back to the kitchen, he turned on the radio and settled the open book on the counter before gathering the supplies for the pastry.  ~~~~

“ _I’m coming out of my cage and I’ve been doing just fine_ ,” Oliver sang along the music playing, bobbing his head to the sound of the beat as he added vanilla to the fluff mix made of butter, sugar and salt in his saucepan. “ _Gotta gotta be down because I want it all._ ”

A sudden sound of furniture being knocked over followed by glass shattering startled him, and he quickly removed the saucepan from the stove to see what was going on.

“Felicity, are you okay?” Oliver asked, making his way back to the living room, his chest tightening in distress.  

He sighed in relief when he found Felicity seemingly okay, with only the coffee table out of place and the floor covered in shattered glass that he guessed used to be the vase his sister got them as a welcome gift.

He set his eyes again on Felicity. She looked shocked by whatever she was holding in the palm of her hand as she stood in their living room.

“I…I don’t know,” she said, her eyes flicking between her hand and Oliver. He frowned, stepping closer to see what Felicity was holding. She took it between her thumb and index finger to show him.

His eyes widened at his mother’s ring being held right in front of her face.

“Why was it in…?” She stopped abruptly and looked at him. “Oh God, did I ruin your proposal? I didn’t – I couldn’t – I wouldn’t – Oliver, I’m so sorry! I mean, it’s not like I did that on purpose! I had no idea when you told me today would be a special day just for two of us, you meant that, because if I had the slightly idea...”

“Hon,” he said touching her upper arm. “Take a breath with me.”

Her mouth closed with an audible click, her eyes widening even further as she kept her gaze on him, and then matched the beats of the deep, calming breaths coming out of his chest.

Truth be told, he hadn’t planned to propose that particular night. When he told her they’d have a special night, he’d meant they’d finally have a break, a night all to themselves with no interruptions from either of their jobs, but now his girlfriend was holding the engagement ring he had picked for her, looking at him with a mixture of awe and wonder and disbelief.

“You didn’t ruin the proposal,” he assured her, as his fingers trailed up her arm to grip her shoulder and squeeze in a comfort gesture. “You couldn’t ever ruin the proposal.”

She let out a relieved sigh, her body relaxing under his touch and leaning toward him. He smiled warmly at her, his eyes tracing the features of her face before moving to take in the rest of her; memorize this moment. Her outfit was simple, understated, and her lips were painted in his favorite shade of light pink, matched perfect to the gentle blush on her cheeks.

“So…” She started. “Do you wanna marry me, then?” She asked, waving the ring in front of his face.

“Yes,” he replied with a grin.

Felicity beamed at him before launching herself at him. She wrapped her arms tightly around his neck, laughing delightedly.

He felt just as overwhelmed, just as ecstatic, and wrapped his arms firmly around her waist, lifting her up to twirl her around the living room. ~~~~

The second he put her on the floor again, she immediately pulled him into a kiss. One of her hands cupped the back of his head, her nails raking over his scalp and sent a shiver through his body. Immediately, he pulled her closer, sucking on her bottom lip. She moaned, thrusting her hips into his in response.

“Fe-li-ci-ty,” he said in a low tone, opening his eyes to look at her. She had the widest grin he had ever seen on her lips and satisfaction filled him to know he was the reason she was radiating happiness.

“Oliver,” she said his name with a broad smile, but her tone told him – because she was Felicity – that she had one more thing to say.

“Hmm?” He said, grinning at her.

“You didn’t propose,” she pointed with a teasing look. “I did.”

Oliver just raised a brow, amused with her comment.

“Don’t give me this look,” she said. “I. Popped. The. Question,” she enunciated each word with a jab of her finger in his chest.

Oliver laughed, his shoulders shaking with it. Bobbing his head in a nod, he relented. “Yes, you did.”

“And you said yes,” she pointed out.

“And I said yes,” he repeated.

“We’re going to get married,” she told him. “Like an actual wedding.”

“It is usually what happens after two people agree to be engaged, yes,” he teased her.

She playfully hit him on the chest, pushing him away. “Shut up.”

The sound of him stepping on a piece of glass broke down the magic of the moment.

“We need to clean this,” she said, looking around at the mess surrounding them.

“I’m gonna get the broom,” he turned around. “And try to not break anything else,” he said with a wink, walking towards the utility room to get a broom and dustpan.

When he got back, the first thing Felicity said was, “Oh my God, whenever Thea said I looked particularly happy and asked if I was wearing _it_ in the last two months, she meant the ring!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Took me more time than planned, but it's here! Hope you enjoyed it! This fic is different from what i'm used to write, so I hope you guys will like it and give me feedback ♥


	3. February 2016

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, a big thank you to effie214 for being the best beta ever as always and to So_Caffeinated for helping me out once again. This new chapter is here thanks to your suggestions, advice and editing - of course.
> 
> Have a good time reading this new story! **Don't forget to leave me a review with your thoughts/excitement/just acknowledge if you enjoyed this story. I appreciate all the comments! They feed my soul!**

“You’ve got the whole day, Queen,” Lance said, thrusting a bunch of keys into his hands. “I’m doing this as thanks for saving my little girl, but if you damage this property and I’ve got to answer questions I’d rather not, I’m gonna find a way to retaliate. Understood?”

Oliver just gave him a firm nod. “Thanks, Detec—Captain.”

Lance just gave him a serious look before turning his back and leaving Oliver’s office.

When he was finally alone, he allowed himself to smile as he looked down at the keys.

He had stuff to do, but first he needed reinforcements.

 

* * *

 

“And we’re done,” Oliver said, propelling himself to his feet after lighting the last candle. Taking a few steps backward, Oliver scanned the place to admire the result of several hours of arduous work.

Creating a romantic environment inside the former Foundry was one of the most ambitious plans Oliver ever set, but with Dig and Thea’s help he managed to pull it off.

In less than five hours they cleaned up the space to the point where it didn’t smell like mold and dust anymore. On the ceiling, they hung a battery-operated chandelier of fairy lights created by Cisco at Oliver’s request. After all, they needed proper illumination, but as they couldn’t turn on the lights, he had to get creative. On the ground lay a semi-circle of candles in Felicity’s favorite scent, white orchid. He stepped back, surveying the space.

“Thanks, guys,” Oliver said sincerely. “It looks amazing. I don’t know if I’d be able to get it done so fast without you.”

“Teamwork, man,” Diggle replied as he stood up from the place he was crouching. “We can get anything done.”

Oliver just offered him a grateful smile as response.

“It’s almost six, Ollie,” Thea alerted him from the floor. “Why don’t you go home, take a shower, put on those jeans my future sister-in-law loves so much and go pick her up?” ~~~~

“We need to finish…”

“We will wrap up for you, man,” Dig promised, patting his shoulder as he passed behind Oliver to gather the supplies they used to put everything together. “Go home.”

“Are you guys sure?” Oliver hesitated, not wanting to have his best friend and sister cleaning up after him.

“Go, Ollie,” Thea insisted. “You have a speech to prepare for and, as the manager of your campaign, I know that’ll take you some time.”

Rolling his eyes at Thea’s teasing, Oliver agreed.

“Okay, I’ll do that then,” he said turning around. “Wish me luck!”

“As if you need it,” was the only reply he got from Dig.

Climbing the stairs two steps at time, Oliver left the building with the widest smile he had ever carried on his lips.

 

* * *

 

He took a deep breath, putting his hand in the pocket on his jeans to confirm for the tenth time that the ring was in its place before exiting the elevator.

Trying to control the jittery energy he felt running through his body, he walked towards Felicity’s office. With each decisive step, he reminded himself he was way past ready to pop the question.

They had come back to Star City and nothing between them had changed. Well, not what mattered, anyway.

He still missed the suburban house they shared in Ivy Town, but he knew they could change residences the minute their lives were more stable. He enjoyed the life he was building since he came back, Darhk issue notwithstanding, and he understood that Felicity shared the same joy.

She did look happier now that she was splitting her time between her own jobs, saving the city and building her own legacy within Palmer Tech. And happy was everything he ever wanted Felicity to be.But more than that, he wanted to be the reason she was happy. He knew a full commitment would make both of them happy, despite the serious threat hovering above their heads; knew he wanted her by his side if the world came crashing down. And like Diggle told him once: if he was to going to wait for the perfect moment to start living his life like he wanted, he wouldn’t ever live.

When he arrived at her glass door, he didn’t knock. Instead, he chose to stay outside the office, watching her work for a couple moments.

He hadn’t seen her before she went to work that morning. He was out of their home before she’d gotten up, thanks to a few campaign obligations. Only now was he seeing the outfit she’d picked today, a satin cream blouse with a black pencil skirt. Her hair was tied in a low ponytail and her lipstick was purple rather than pink or red - colors that she seemed to prefer nowadays.

A smile graced his lips at the picture she made as she leaned over her desk, reading a file in deep concentration.

These days, Felicity held herself differently from the woman he first met years ago.

It wasn’t just her posture that had changed; even her wardrobe had been affected by the changes she’d endured over the last few years. Simplicity had morphed into a stately maturity; confidence and color. And he noticed, because now he noticed everything about her. Even now, he saw the slight changes in her demeanor. The concentration morphed into discontent, her brow furrowing as her lips pursed in a thin line. That was sign enough it was time for him to announce his presence.

“Knock, knock,” Oliver said, opening the glass door.

Startling slightly, she looked up, blinking a couple of times at him before breaking in a bright smile.

“Hi!” She greeted as she pushed her chair back to get out of her desk. “What are you doing here?”

“Can’t I surprise my girlfriend?” He inquired, taking a few steps toward her.

“Always, Oliver,” she said, standing in front of him. He smiled at her and then she was leaning up for a kiss.

His eyes fell shut as he sucked her bottom lip, his hands roaming over her back and finally settling on her waist. It was the hands on his butt that made him let go of her and take a step back.

“Actually, I came here for a reason.”

Felicity raised an eyebrow, taking her hands from his backside and slide them up his chest.

“Hmmm, okay. What do you need?”

“For you to come…”

“I like this already,” Felicity interrupted in a sultry tone.

Oliver shook his head, smiling. “I have a surprise for you.”

“Oh,” she said, taken aback. “What is it?”

Oliver rolled his eyes good-naturedly. “If I told you, it wouldn’t be a surprise anymore, would it?”

Felicity batted her eyes up at him, puling her hand from his backside and sliding her fingers up and down his arm just the way he liked her to. But he took a step back and said teasingly, “If you’re so eager to find out, wrap this up and come with me.”

“Hmmm,” she raised her hand and tapped her index finger against her chin, pretending she was considering his request. “If you promise that me coming with you now will lead to you  _coming_  with me later, you’ve a done deal, Mr. Queen.”

Oliver raised both of his brows at her intentional double entendre. “With a deal like that, how could I say no? You’ve got amazing business skills, Ms. Smoak.”

She giggled, so adorably delighted at his playfulness that he had to lean down to steal a couple of kisses.

“Seriously, come on. We’ll be late for my plans,” he whispered against her lips.

“Okay,” she conceded. “Let me grab my purse and then we can go.”

 

* * *

 

“Before we get out of here,” Oliver started when they got inside his brand new car. “I need you to put this on,” he requested, thrusting into her hands a blindfold that was inside one of his pockets.

“Kinky,” she commented in a teasing tone.

Oliver chuckled. “More like I don’t want you to see where we are until we get there.”

“Fine,” she said with a sigh. “But for going along with your sudden plans, I’m expecting two orgasms.”

“Your ability to negotiation is astounding.”

“I know, right?!” She responded with a smile as she took off her glasses to give him to secure it. He put them on his shirt’s front pocket while she wrapped the black blindfold over her eyes. “Aren’t you a lucky guy?”

“The luckiest,” he agreed with a smile.

 

* * *

 

When they arrived at Verdant, he helped her get out of the car and walk the distance between the entry and the basement.

As they got to the door that led to the ~~~~Foundry, Oliver felt his pulse quicken considerably – even more than it had during what felt like an interminable drive to the familiar location. He tried to take control of his body, but it was useless. Just like the first time he tried to propose, his sweating hands were trembling slightly and his stomach was in knots. He’d never thought outside of life and death situations his nerves could fire up up like that. But they did and that was all thanks to Felicity.

Always Felicity.

From the top of the stairs, he was relieved to see everything was in its place. Thea and Dig had wrapped up things pretty well.

“I’ll help you go down the stairs, okay?” He said, taking both her hands into his to guide her.

“Woah, this place smells like my favorite candle,” was the first comment Felicity made when they reached the bottom of the stairs. “Why is that?”

“You will find out soon,” Oliver replied, amused by her new attempt to find out what was going on.

He walked her into the circle and released her hands. Taking a deep breath, he reached out to untie the blindfold at the back of her head and let it slide down his fingers to the floor.

He watched Felicity open her eyes and blink away until her eyes got used to the lights. Seeing her squint to make sense of her surroundings, he reached for her glasses in his pocket.

“Here.”

She put them on and he could pinpoint the second she realized where they were.

With widened eyes, her mouth was open in wonderment as she scanned the whole room.

She whirled around herself, looking up and down until she stood in front of Oliver with an incredulous smile.

“Why did you…?” Felicity started speaking, but cut herself. “Oh, is this a pre-Valentine’s Day celebration? Cause you know tomorrow is February 14th, right?”

“Something like that.”

“Alright,” she nodded with a smile. “I never really celebrated Valentine’s Day, you know? You’re the first one that had ever done something nice for me.”

“Really?” He asked, surprised. The thought of being the only one to ever do it for her, gave him conflicting feelings of satisfaction and resentment. He couldn’t understand why someone wouldn’t take every opportunity to make Felicity know how special she was, not caring enough to treat her right.

She nodded. “I wasn’t ever serious enough with someone around Valentine’s in high school. You know who my college boyfriend was and...well at the time, we were a couple of rebels too cool to enjoy something the masses loved,” she added with a grimace. “And now, there is you and here we are,” looking around the space one more time, contentment written in her features.

“Do you like it?” Oliver asked, their eyes meeting.

“I love it,” she said sincerely. “Very romantic.”

“I was aiming for that,” he confessed, ducking his head.

“You were very successful,” she said. “But I’m curious, why you created all of this,” she waved at the whole room to cross her point, “inside our old Foundry?”

_Time for the truth_ , he thought as he stepped closer, taking both of her hands into his and looking into her eyes. She looked up from under her lashes, curiosity flickering in them.

“I needed to do this here because this is the place we fell in love,” He started in a soft tone. “I know our story started in your cubicle at the IT Department of your company, but it was inside of these walls that our feelings for each other grew,” he saw her breathing hitch and he squeezed her hands in comfort.

“We started as unlikely partners and then we became friends. As my friend, you helped me every step of the way in any form you could. You helped me to see that my mission could be so much more than crossing names from a list. You made me believe I could do something good for my city and that saved me from myself.”

“Oliver,” she whispered his name, her eyes brimming with tears.

“I’m a better man because you inspired me to become that person. You taught me the value of living and for that I can’t thank you enough,” he took a deep breath and once again laid himself bare in front of her.

“You also taught me a lot about love. I never thought it was possible to love someone as much as I love you. Our story hasn’t been smooth. Actually it was hard for a long time. But like I said once: nothing great will come easily. And we are great, Felicity. I’d relive every single moment of my life if it meant you were waiting for me at the end of the line,” he paused, hoping every feeling he felt for her were evoked in his gaze. “That’s how much I love you.”

“I feel so many things for you, so intensely...that I think love is too small a word to describe my feelings,” she responded with a shaky voice.

Pulling Felicity into a hug, he tucked her head under his chin. Pressing the side of his face on the top of her head, he finally shed a couple of tears that he he’d been holding back since about halfway through his speech.

A stream of I love you’s fell out of their mouths while they were in each other’s arms. When he felt like he could string two sentences together, he gently put an inch of distance between them, reaching into his back pocket to retrieve the ring.

“I want to spend the rest of my life showing how much I love you,” he declared, lifting the ring he held between his fingers. “Will you marry me, Felicity?”

She gasped, her eyes flicking between the ring and Oliver. She opened her mouth, but for the first time since he’d met her, her voice was stuck in her throat. Instead of forcing out the words, she just offered her hand to him while nodding emphatically.

Feeling like his heart was about to beat out of his chest, Oliver took her hand and smiled at her own trembling hands. With an emotional smile, he slowly slid his mother’s ring on her hand, then brought it to his lips.

Catching him by surprise, Felicity framed his face with both her hands and laid her lips on his, kissing him hard and thoroughly, just like he loved. Wrapping his arms around her, his hands sprawled across her back to press her close, Oliver lost himself to the feel of Felicity’s mouth moving against his. ~~~~

Eventually, Felicity pulled back to catch her breath and her expression was pure elation and satisfaction.

“I love you,” she said softly, sweeping her thumbs gently over the slope of his cheekbones. Tilting his head with his eyes closed, Oliver savored the sensation of her skin touching his.

“I love you so much,” he said, equally quiet, leaning forward until he felt his forehead touch hers. Focusing every sense he had on the woman in his arms, Oliver tried to commit to his memory every sensation he could of one of the most important events of his life, determined never to forget every minute detail.

No, it wasn’t about forgetting, it was about living in the moment for as long as he could and that was exactly what he tried to do.

So, he closed his eyes and breathed her in.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, people! You may have noticed I changed the name of the story and for only one reason: I couldn't write the other two proposals after watching the real deal :/ It felt pointless! So, as we won't have 5+1 proposals, I had to change for a name more fitting, so...
> 
> Anyway! I'm just gonna post what I've written already and hopefully you'll enjoy it anyway :) Next week you'll get the last chapter :D So, thank you for your time and REVIEW AND SEND ME KUDOS PLS! That's my food as a writer ;D


	4. January 2016

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to say thanks to So_Caffeinated and FanMomMer for being the best people in the world when they helped me so much with this story. You're amazing, guys ♥
> 
> Have a good time reading the end of this story and, hopefully, you enjoyed this fic as much as I did! **Don't forget to leave me a review with your thoughts/excitement/just acknowledge if you enjoyed this story. I appreciate all the comments! They feed my soul!**

Oliver kept glancing at the desk clock Thea had gotten him as a joke after he won the election. According to his sister, having a clock in front of him would force him to be more punctual.

She hadn’t been...wrong. The constant tick-tock naturally attracted his attention to the device, so now he was aware of the hour most of time.

That was why the clock marking 7:45 p.m. bothered him a lot.

Curtis should’ve already called to tell Oliver his plan was a go. An hour ago.

Tapping his fingers on his desk, he was about to give in and call the man back when his phone started to ring.

“I’m sorry, Oliver,” Curtis apologized as a greeting. “Today everyone stuck around for longer than expected. I only just now got down to the IT department to check the cubicle you told me about.”

Oliver let a relieved sigh out loud. “It’s fine. Can I have access to it ?”

“You’re already authorized to the area, you won’t have any issues sneaking inside the building,” he assured Oliver.

“What about Felicity? Is she still there or will you have to fake an emergency to…”

“She’s still here,” Curtis interrupted. “I left her with a pile of prototype files to go through while I came downstairs to see if everything is in order. You can head over whenever you like.”

“Alright,” Oliver said as he got up from his chair, already grabbing the suit jacket hanging behind him. “When I’m in, I’ll let you know so you can get Felicity and bring her down to me.”

“Roger that,” he replied in his excited tone. “Did I already tell you how happy I am for you two and that you asked me to do this for Felicity?”

Oliver chuckled, shaking his head. “Yes, you did. I’ll talk to you soon, Curtis.”

Before the man could reply properly, Oliver hung up.

Pocketing his phone, he put on his jacket and fixed his tie. After he tried to smooth the wrinkles out of his clothes, he opened the locked drawer of his desk and grabbed the velvet box he had been hanging onto since last October.

With trembling fingers, he lifted the lid of the box to verify that the ring was still there.

The princess cut diamond solitaire his mother always wore with pride glinted in the light of his office, staring back at him. It was one of the few things he had kept that belonged to his mother.

He remembered how special that ring was for her. Memories of his childhood self catching his mother sometimes smiling softly at the ring while she twiddled with it told him that. He had no illusions about his parents’ marriage; he knew the ring didn’t reflect the vows his parents made once upon a time. The ring wasn’t a symbol of a happy marriage, but it was of his mother’s memory.

Despite their sometimes contentious relationship, he loved his mom so much. He wished she could see the man he’d become. He wished she had been beside him when he needed help  finding the right ring for Felicity, a ring she’d be a prideful owner of just like his mother was of her engagement ring. But she couldn’t be here, so instead of looking for a ring for Felicity, he decided to give his mother’s ring to her because he knew in his mother's eyes there wouldn’t be one more perfect than that.

Imagining the perfect ring on the finger of the love of his life made Oliver’s breath hitch, his heart lurching at the picture he mentally created.

The thought he would know for sure soon if it looked as beautiful as he pictured made Oliver close the lid and put it in the pocket of his suit jacket.

He needed to hurry up if he wanted to propose that night.

 

* * *

 

_Already here. - O_

Oliver sent the message to Curtis the second he closed the door that separated the cubicles from the hallway. It took him less than thirty minutes to arrive at Palmer Tech and, being authorized by the CEO’s right hand to wander around the building, he had no problems getting into Felicity’s former cubicle.

Now, he just needed to wait.

Taking a deep breath, he tried to empty his mind and not let his nerves cloud his senses. Fixing his attention to the place he was, he noticed a few changes. The most obvious one was the replacement of Queen Consolidated for Palmer Tech, but he caught slight changes too. The lighter tone of blue on the walls and new equipment stood out, but the most important change was how lifeless it looked.

There wasn’t a mug like Felicity’s or a metal pen holder like the one she took everywhere she worked. Not even ornaments like that decorative rectangular vessel filled with black stones in the shape of hearts that Felicity had never explained why she had in the first place. All these details that gave a Felicity-ness to the place were gone. Instead of the usual mess she left behind, there was files and stack of papers separated in two piles and a clear space to work next to the computer that gave a feeling of being uninhabited instead of organized. Honestly, the space looked barren and bleak without Felicity’s presence.

He chuckled at the thought. It sure did sound like a metaphor for his life.

Since he brought her into his life, so many aspects of it improved thanks to her influence. She had turned his world upside down, making him question his life choices and pushed him into becoming the man he was nowadays. If once he envisioned his future filled with loneliness and hopelessness, now he was optimistic that he was allowed to love and be loved by Felicity until his dying days. That it was fine to build a life with her, regardless of their night activities.

They could do it together.

Smiling softly, he palmed through the cloth to feel the box secured in his jacket. The day of asking Felicity to be his wife was finally taking place. And honestly? It couldn’t be that much of surprise to her. After eight months together almost joined at the hip - like his sister loved to point out - proposing seemed much more of a natural development in their relationship than a great event that would change everything.

During the span of their relationship they had already had two different residences, and in each one they had led distinct lives. He learned their relationship could work in any circumstance. Oliver could have a domestic life in the suburbs with Felicity while saving the city together, without renouncing any part of their lives to the greater good. Of course it was a challenge, but nothing worth it came easily.

Reminding himself of those things loosened up the pressure in his chest. The tremble in his hands reduced, the knots in his stomach settling down as he waited for her arrival.

It was the sound of footsteps approaching the room combined with undistinguished chatter that put Oliver on alert.

“The main problem is coming from here?” Felicity said in a muted voice. Even though a wall separated them, disbelief dripped in her tone.

“Yes, Felicity,” Curtis replied. “Go inside and check it out.”

The doorknob moved and quickly the door was being opened, revealing Felicity in front of him.

She was wearing the same purple dress she had left their house in this morning, the only different thing was her hair. Instead of wearing her ponytail, her strands were cascading on her shoulders.

She stopped abruptly, blinking repeatedly as if trying to process that Oliver was really standing in the middle of the cubicle where she once worked.

“Oliver! What are you doing here?”

“Hi,” he waved with a smile.

She threw a glare to Curtis over her shoulder. “Let me guess: he is the problem I’m supposed to solve?”

Curtis offered her a wide smile before nodding effusively. “And now that I delivered you to him…”

“Hey! I’m not a thing to deliver,” Felicity protested.

“...I gotta go back to my house because my husband is waiting for me,” he finished, pretending Felicity wasn’t talking along with him.

Oliver scrunched his nose, watching them. They were so much alike that sometimes it hurt his brain having to witness their interaction.

“Thanks, Curtis,” Oliver waved at him as the man closed the door behind him.

“You’re welcome!” Came Curtis’ reply from the other side of the door.

“Seriously, what’s going on?” Felicity asked, reaching to take both his hands into hers. As she took hold of his hands, she stepped closer to him letting only a few inches separate them.

“Just a surprise,” he said, leaning down to let his lips hover over hers. “That’s all,” he assured her before sealing their lips together in a kiss.

“Okay,” she replied breathlessly when he let her go. Smiling at the picture of temptation she made with lipstick smeared and rosy cheeks, he took a step back to give them room to breathe.

“Do you know where we are?” he asked her as a way to put in motion his proposal.

“I’ve been working here for almost six years,” she replied with a nod. “Of course I know where we are. The question is: why are we here?”

“So impatient,” Oliver teased with a soft smile. Her only reply was a tilt of her head combined with a ‘I’m not amused’ look.

He rolled his eyes. “Fine, we are here because this is the place our first meeting happened almost four years ago.”

A look of recognition passed her eyes, making her straighten her back and look more seriously at him before speaking.

“Yes, I remember that. Impossible not to…” she trailed off, frowning slightly. “But that still doesn’t answer my question.”

“I need you to hear what I’ve got to say in the place where everything started, so…” He sent her a serious look. “If you could just listen to me first, it’d be much appreciated, okay?”

Felicity didn’t seem to realize he was about to propose judging by her squeezing his hands unintentionally while gnawing at her lips.

“I’m getting nervous,” she confessed.

“It’s nothing bad, I promise,” he reassured her by tightening his hold on her hands.

She gave him a firm nod, smiling hesitantly at him.

“Fours years ago, I entered this room for the first time looking for tech help to catch an assassin, I had no idea I’d find you.”

He watched her face morph from confusion to surprise, her lips turning into a wide smile that even reflected in her eyes.

“You know, it was really risky of me to keep coming back specifically for your help. But, there was something about you that just...drew me in and I couldn’t pull away. I kept choosing over and over again to come back to you,” Oliver declared, licking his suddenly dry lips. “And the first opportunity I had to tell you my secret, I grabbed it. I didn’t want to lie to you anymore. I just wanted you by my side. Working with me.”

He watched Felicity’s chest rise and fall as she took a deep breath, her eyes shining with tears. Swallowing down the knot of emotion that formed in his throat, he continued.  

“I confess I was disappointed when you only accepted to help me if I wanted to rescue Walter, but I sucked it up. I truly needed you, even if I wouldn’t ever admit that out loud back then. And I did, Felicity. I still do four years later.

“But as much as I’d needed you, I’d wanted you the same amount. There hasn’t been a minute that passed since we met where I haven’t felt like that. It took me years to understand my feelings for you, but I finally do. I realized in the last couple of years that I love you.

“I love you because you allowed me to get in touch with pieces of myself I thought were long gone. And not just that, you made me find new ones I never realized were there in the first place. You always believed in me, even when nobody else - including myself - did. If I put on my mask today to fight for the people I love and try to do good by my city, it’s because you helped me to do that. To realize saving the city didn’t just involve crossing names off a list. You made me a better person, Felicity.”

Untangling their hands to reach for his pocket, Felicity widened her eyes, her mouth falling open in a perfect ‘o’. Oliver could point out the second she realized what was truly going on, because the next moment a stream of “Oh, my God!” fell out of her mouth.

He smiled as he watched her cover her mouth with her hands, her eyes glued to his hands. He took out the velvet box and, with practiced easiness, he opened it up.

“Felicity,” he started. “Will you…”

“Yes!” she interrupted. “Yes, yes, yes!” she exclaimed, throwing her arms around his neck and scattering kisses all over his face.

“You didn’t even let…” Oliver tried to say, but her mouth covered his and he gave up his protest to kiss her back. Closing his eyes, he let himself get lost in the feeling of her lips moving against his while her tongue probed his mouth.

It wasn’t like he  _needed_  to ask the question anyway. She knew what he wanted and she had accepted it enthusiastically.

That was what truly mattered.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That was it! I wrapped up another multi-chapter fic that wasn't in my plans, but I wrote anyway ahahaha
> 
> If you enjoyed the story and you're a tumblr user, consider [reblogging the post from my tumblr](http://ohmypreciousgirl.tumblr.com/post/140886541427/first-wants-to-say-thanks-to-fanmommer-and) to spread my work.
> 
> Kisses and see you all soon :D

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed it! **Last reminder to leave comments if you enjoyed and give me kudos!**
> 
> Say hello to me @ tumblr: [ohmypreciousgirl](http://ohmypreciousgirl.tumblr.com/).
> 
> See you soon, guys!


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